How To Roast A Perfectly Moist Turkey

A whole turkey, perfectly cooked, juicy in thigh and breast and richly caramelized all over is a thing of beauty, but it is, indeed a rare bird. Turkeys are large, they have a big hole inside them. They are thick in some places and thinner in others. They have appendages that dangle about and can burn.

The Rockwell picture of the happy family gazing at the perfect bird is just that - Rockwell picture, an idealized view of Americana. If you can let go of that picture, there are a couple of ways that you can cook your turkey that almost ensure the perfect bird. It just won’t be a perfect whole bird. Open yourself up to the possibilities and let go of the iconic roast turkey. You and your guests will be glad that you did.

These techniques work especially well if you normally carve the turkey in the kitchen and plate it before bringing it to the dining table. Everyone knows what a classic Thanksgiving bird looks like but I’m sure they will be much happier to have carved moist turkey meat in exchange for a gorgeous looking dried out bird.

Option 1 - Spatchcocking
To spatchcock a turkey (or a chicken, for that matter), lay the turkey breast side down on a stable surface, and using heavy duty kitchen shears, cut along either side of the backbone, through the rib cage. This will take a little muscle. Once you have the backbone out, save it for soup or stock. Now, turn the turkey back over and press down hard on the breast bone. This will crack the bone, and you’ll be able to press the turkey flat.

What good does this do? Now, your meat is a much more even thickness. The legs and thighs will now be nicely exposed to the heat, and the breast meat will be a little protected. Now all you have to do is lay him out in a roasting pan - I usually set him on a "raft" I create by laying carrots and celery stalks in the roasting pan. This keeps the bird off the bottom of the pan and helps build wonderful flavor for your gravy.

Roast your bird at about 375º F, until the breast meat registers about 155ºF and the thigh reads about 175-180º F. Don’t worry; the temperature will continue to rise once the bird is out of the oven. The roasting time will be much less for a spatchcocked bird than for a whole bird. This is good, because your oven will be freed up for other items that need to be baked.

Start checking with an instant read thermometer at one hour for a 14 pound bird. Once the bird is done, take it out of the oven, remove it to a platter and cover with foil to rest for 20 minutes to half an hour while you make the gravy in the roasting pan.

Option 2 - Removing the Thighs and Drumsticks Before Roasting
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How to Make Great Turkey Chili from Thanksgiving Leftovers

I know how it is. You buy a huge bird, you roast it, you feast and then you stare in dismay at all of the leftovers. Mentally, you try and calculate how many turkey sandwiches you can eat before running for the hills. I am here to help with an unusual but innovative way to use up your leftovers in a hearty and filling chili.

It may seem early to be talking about Turkey Day leftovers but Thanksgiving is fast approaching and you will probably be overwhelmed putting the meal together to be plan what to do with leftovers. This is a great recipe for cleaning out the refrigerator over the weekend. For another great turkey chile recipe, I recommend you check out my Deer Valley Chili recipe. It even has a photo of me during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Park City as a volunteer.

And if you really are a chili fan and can’t get enough on the subject, I highly recommend you check out my friend Chef Jenni Field’s Intuitive Chili lens at Squidoo. It is a chili fan’s dream of informative information, recipe links and photo’s put together by Chef Jenni. I know you will enjoy it.

Chili Wars

If wars haven’t been fought over chili, I bet there are friends haven’t who haven’t talked to each other for a few days after a great chili debate. Beans vs. no beans is a huge issue. As is tomatoes vs. no tomatoes. People have very strong opinions on what sorts of meats and vegetables should go into chili. At the end of the day, though, chili is a way to use up leftovers. And, as such, I respectfully ask everyone to just calm down and relax.

For me, chili is defined by the use of fresh and/or dried chile peppers as a main flavor component in the dish. I generally expect there to be some cumin as well as a bit of heat. I do not expect to see mushrooms, but I won’t be offended if you choose to add them. Chili is a one pot meal meant to warm you up and clear out your fridge, and what better time to do that than right after a big holiday.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup beer (or dry white wine)
1/4 cup jellied cranberry
Chili powder, to taste - anywhere from 2 tablespoons to 1/3 cup
Ground cumin, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Ground coriander, to taste
3 cups chicken broth (or turkey broth, if you have any)
1 tablespoon dried oregano (crush in your hand to release the oils)
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning, or to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 pound leftover shredded turkey
6 oz. crumbled leftover cornbread stuffing
Juice of 2 limes
Fresh sage, chiffonade, for garnish

How to Make Homemade Chili

Over medium-low heat, sweat onion and garlic with a little salt and pepper in oil until softened and translucent. Turn up heat and cook until golden. Deglaze with beer or wine. Cook until evaporated.

Turn heat to medium, and add cranberry jelly. Stir well. Add spices and cook for another minute or two. Increase heat to medium high, and add broth, oregano and poultry seasoning.

Add shredded turkey meat, and crumbled stuffing. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Simmer and stir to break up the cornbread and dissolve it. (The cornbread will thicken your chili). Just before serving, squeeze in the lime juice and stir. Serve in heated bowls, and garnish with chiffonade sage.

I have given you measurements, but please don’t feel like you need to break out your scale and your measuring cups. Let your taste guide how much of each ingredient you add.

I asked a few of my favorite chefs for their advise on preparing the biggest meal of the year for most of us and put together this Top ? list to help make your holiday a little easier.

You can also check out my article called Let’s Talk Turkey or my blog post, Turkey Basics or head over to my new RG Cooking Community and check out some of the posts on Thanksgiving Day Dinner Tips. If you have some of our own, please sign up and post them.

Chef Introduction

First I would like to introduce the chef’s who offered up their professional advice and thank them. If you click on their links, you can read all about them in my Novice2Pro interviews with them.

Chef David Nelson, co-founder of Chef4Students.org

Chef Leslie Bilderback, Certified Master Baker & Cookbook Author

Chef Jennifer Field, creator of PastryChefOnline

Chef Mark Vogel, Newspaper columnist

Here’s are some of their very helpful suggestions:

PREPARING YOUR MENU

Chef Field - “Make a chart listing all the dishes you plan to serve, prep time for each, whether it can be made ahead or not, etc.  Then, you can plan to get some things done on Tuesday or Wednesday (or even the weekend before, depending on what you’re making).  Spread out over a few days, Thanksgiving is much less daunting. 

Oh, and set your table completely the day before, and according to your list. (If you’re passing 4 sides at the table, you’ll want to make sure you have the right serving pieces).

 It seems like such a small thing, but it’ll save you from having to run around like a crazy person trying to find a pickle fork at the last second!”

HOW MUCH TURKEY SHOULD YOU BUY?

Chef Nelson - “ 3/4 of a pound will get the job done, but he recommends, “one pound of uncooked turkey per person, to ensure lots of choice and some leftovers.”

WHAT KIND OF TURKEY SHOULD YOU BUY?

Chef Vogel - “Wild turkeys are a little tougher, (although more flavorful), than commercial turkeys since they get considerably more exercise.  But that also means less fat and ergo, less succulence. Younger turkeys will be more tender than their older counterparts.  For the most tender, juiciest turkey, pick a young one that’s been cooped up in a pen.”

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